God’s Rest

A Weaned Child

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments

Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child. Psalm 131:2 KJV

Rest has gotten such a bad name in our culture that we place our next order at Walmart while we are cooking, check our email during our children’s soccer game and take phone calls at the beach from customers. We never seem to be able to find a quiet place of rest. But having a hard time with quietness isn’t something new. Thousands of years ago King David had the same struggle. Imagine growing up with six brothers treating you like a servant, fighting Goliath and then dodging spears that King Saul is throwing your way. That is definitely far from a quiet life!

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But in the middle of unexpected circumstances, God taught him the secret of quietness and David tells us that it was like being weaned. See, Babies are used to milk. Milk is sweet and easy and when babies get hungry they cry, demanding mom comply immediately by giving them a feeding. No baby wakes up hoping for a spoon full of pureed spinach! The only way a child is going to eat solid food is if he or she gets hungry enough to accept something new. Usually by the time a baby gets ready for that first bite they are so worn out from crying that in a moment of quietness they accept what mom gives them. Sound familiar? Is God changing up the menu in your life with unexpected or even bitter circumstances? Are sweet and familiar things around you disappearing faster than lawn chairs in a tornado? The good news is that even in a tornado, if we will quiet our soul like a weaned child, God has something far better than milk prepared for us. He has sent for us Jesus, the fresh Bread from Heaven as our comforter and His Holy Word for our Sunday meal!

Reserving a Table

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Then the Lord will be your delight. I will give you great honor and satisfy you with the inheritance I promised to your ancestor Jacob. I, the Lord, have spoken!”          Isaiah 58:14 ESV

It is a precious part of our inheritance as Christians, to pass on to our children the blessings of Sabbath. So, we need to be careful not to spend their inheritance on ourselves. Instead of endless busy days, God has a plan for rest and refreshment.  When we come to the end of our lives will our children and grandchildren have special memories of Sundays that we have spent with them? So, if we want to have a something to pass on, we must put in a reservation.

Think of it like going to a fine restaurant. You cannot just walk in any time you wish and expect to find a table. If you do not call ahead and get your reservation, then chances are pretty good that someone else will already be seated instead of you. It is the same with the Sabbath. Everyone wants our time. If they think it is okay to take it on Sundays, then they will not hesitate to ask. My wife taught me a great lesson when we were running a business together. If you were one of those who decided that Sunday afternoon was a convenient time to call us, you would have heard her say, “You’ve got six other days to talk to my husband about work. This is our day for God and our family. Thank you and have a wonderful day!”  Things that are rare have great value and you will begin to realize just how valuable that day is when you reserve it for God!

12 Gifts of Christmas / 7th Gift – Rest

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments

 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:29

Our plane had finished climbing to 30,000 feet and the pilot quietly announced that we were now free to move about the cabin, but my eyes were still tightly closed in prayer. No – I wasn’t just being religious – I was really terrified of flying! But on a six hour flight it is hard to pretend that you are sleeping for very long. When eventually, I opened my eyes, I noticed a young Chinese man seated across from me, gazing out his window in delight. We struck up a conversation and I learned that he was coming from Hong Kong to the United States and that this was his first time on a plane. The difference between His joy of watching the clouds and the scenery lay in stark contrast to my dark fears. Though I truly believed that if I died I would be with Jesus, I was still gripped by anxiety and my neighbor’s obvious joy made me feel ashamed.

He was enjoying the kind of rest that in our hurry towards Christmas, we all need to remember. Maybe we miss God’s purpose of rest because we feel that with any sort of inactivity we might be missing out. But God is at the controls of our lives and has given us complete freedom to move about the cabin and find rest as we delight in seeing where God is taking us on our journey.

We would be a lot more at ease if we remembered that Jesus patiently lingered nine unhurried months in the waiting room of Mary’s womb. Shepherds learned the Good News of great joy as they rested with their flocks. Even after Jesus was born, He rested in the place the Father had put Him while He was growing up in the tiny village of Nazareth.

In fact, Jesus had brothers and sisters with whom He had to share a straw mattress on the floor and eat the same simple family meals that Mary cooked. Never once does the Bible record a complaint, or reveal an attitude of impatience with him. Jesus simply waited for the day when His Father’s work would begin and He rested in the place where he was. Maybe it was there in Nazareth where He was taught to give thanks for bread and fish. While taking care of his chores He learned to wash feet for visitors, celebrate weddings and handle wood and nails. Then He patiently and painfully endured the cross for us, all the while resting in the thought that the end of hIS journey would be perfect. then before the resurrection Jesus rested three long days in the tomb. That same Jesus who could take a nap in a boat in a storm now invites us to also come, put our trust in Him and celebrate rest for our souls forever!